


Scribbles' Clexa Pride Week

by M_E_Scribbles



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Accidental Marriage, Clarke can't say those three little words, Clexa Pride Week, Clexa Pride Week 2019, Clexa in Scotland, Don’t copy to another site, Enemies to Lovers, Lexa's being deployed, Military, Nerd Clarke, Or do they?, Popular/nerd AU, They make a mistake..., popular lexa
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-05-16 22:01:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19326934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/M_E_Scribbles/pseuds/M_E_Scribbles
Summary: Clexa Pride Week! (I figured we all needed a little extra love this Pride Month...)Day 1: Enemies to Lovers: A Melody of Our Own - Clexa are rival singers who find themselves falling in love.Day 2: Military AU: Fighting the Words - Clexa are life long best friends and now Lexa is being deployed.Day 3: Accidental Marriage: Reenactments Are Not for Amateurs - Clexa think they're helping out the locals... oops...Day 4: Popular/Nerd: Misperceptions - Popular Lexa meets nerdy Clarke. There's a spark but there's also a bit of resistance there. But why?





	1. A Melody of Our Own

**Author's Note:**

> After all the... troubling news this month, I decided we needed a bit of Clexa love. So I made Clexa Pride Week in an effort to make that happen! It's open for writers, artists, moodboard makers, all kind of other creative fun things!
> 
> Enjoy!

## It was very common knowledge.

Clarke Griffin, lead singer of _Sky_ and Lexa Woods, lead singer of _Tree Crew_ , did not get along.

There was a time when they were nearly inseparable. They were spotted together in public, at parties, at industry events.

It wasn’t as if there wasn’t evidence of their friendship and the rift. Most pointed to Octavia Blake leaving _Sky_ to play drums for _Tree Crew_. Clarke and Raven, the remaining members, released a statement, wishing her luck and good things in her future.

In reality, Octavia’s sudden departure planted the seed of distrust in Clarke’s friendship with Lexa. She was convinced it had been Lexa’s doing, luring Octavia away.

The moment many fans had been waiting months for had finally arrived.

For the first time in nearly a year, Clarke and Lexa would be in the same room. And, what’s more, _Sky_ and _Tree Crew_ would be seated at the same table.

“I’m only doing this because it’s your wedding and my mother would kill me if I wasn’t here.” Clarke reminded Octavia for the ninth time. She tightened the laces on the back of Octavia’s gown, not feeling the least bit guilty when her friend winced and huffed.

“I know, Clarke,” Octavia replied.

Raven, the last part of their trio, burst into the room. Spotting the other two, she straightened a bit and smiled.

“Hey.”

“Found Anya?” Octavia asked with a grin.

Shrugging, Raven closed the door behind her. “She found me, I think. Pulled me into –”

“Don’t need details!” Clarke and Octavia shouted.

Without another word, the group finished getting ready. Clarke and Raven looked every bit as glamorous as pop stars should in their red dresses and sky heel black heels. Octavia looked like the bride from a magazine when everything was said and done.

The photographer, an old friend from high school named Monty, came to get Octavia for the bride reveal pictures, Clarke and Raven found themselves alone for the first time in days.

“How are you holding up?” Raven asked.

“I hate knowing that she’s here.” Clarke snapped.

Raven bit her lip and nodded. After a beat of silence she said, “You do know it wasn’t actually Lexa’s idea right? O left us because _Tree Crew_ needed a drummer and she wanted to spend more time with Lincoln. If we’d needed a bass player, I’m sure he’d have come to us.”

“As if Lexa didn’t plant that idea in her head! Or in his!” Clarke hissed, shaking her head. She turned to the mirror, her hands fussing with her curled hair. “As if Octavia just woke up one day and decided to ditch her two oldest friends and leave one of the most successful bands in years just because of a guy.”

“She loves him.” Raven reminded her. “That’s sort of why we’re here.”

Clarke had to force herself not to scoff. “I know.”

“So quit marching around like you hate being here. Let’s celebrate our friend and her love.”

“You just want me to smile and carry on like nothing is wrong because you don’t want me complaining to you. You want to spend all your time with Anya.”

Raven laughed and shrugged. “I do have to admit, Clarke, my girlfriend being around tends to improve my mood considerably. I’m not sure you could bring me down!”

****

“She’s going to kill me.” Lexa announced.

“She is not.” Anya replied, her tone laced with boredom.

“She is! She’s going to think I did this! That I’m just doing this to mess with her!” Lexa nodded. She stood from her chair and started to pace. “She already hates me!”

Anya only shrugged. “You hate her too.”

“She’s a brat!” Lexa insisted. “Doesn’t mean I want her to kill me!”

“We did steal her drummer.”

“I didn’t steal anyone! And she had no right to air our dirty laundry in front of the entire world like that!”

Laughing lightly. “For someone who claims not to care, you sure do seem to care.”

****

It took hours for Lexa and Clarke to find themselves relatively alone. Except… they were on the dance floor and they were surrounded. They were acting perfectly civil, doing everything their friends expected of them.

Then the DJ had announced the need for the wedding party to join Lincoln and Octavia on the floor.

And somehow, Clarke found herself paired off with Lexa.

Raven was holding tight to Anya while they swayed from side to side. Anya had her head bent, lips pressed to the side of Raven’s neck.

Bellamy and Echo were only a few feet away from them, too wrapped up in their own little world.

That left Clarke and Lexa. Even though Clarke and Bellamy had walked down the aisle together, as maid of honor and the best man. Clarke had expected that pairing to carry on throughout the night.

“Could you at least pretend like you know how to dance?” Lexa hissed in her ear, her lips never falling out of their smile.

“You’ve seen me dance.” Clarke pointed out.

Lexa rolled her eyes. “You’re going to give the world more to obsess over if you don’t just smile. I’m not any happier about any of this but at least I’m trying to make sure Lincoln and Octavia’s wedding is about them!”

“Yeah, sure,” Clarke said with a snort, “you’re a saint. Saint Lexa of _Tree Crew._ ”

“You can’t even get over yourself for one night. No wonder nothing ever came out of this!”

****

“Raven!” Clarke pounded on the door to their suite.

“Check the sign, babe!” Raven called back. “I’m busy!”

Glancing down at the door, Clarke groaned. Raven and Anya had officially staked a claim on the two-bedroom suite.

“You did see how they were dancing,” Lexa reminded her.

“Do you have to be so condescending about everything?” Clarke sighed and leaned her head against the door. “Seriously? Like… haven’t you won whatever game you’re playing at yet? You have to sit there and try to torture me too? When you know I can’t even get out of this stupid dress and put on sweat pants?”

Lexa snorted out a laugh and motioned for Clarke to follow her. “Anya sent me a text a little bit ago. They put your bag in the other bedroom in my suite. Apparently we’re roommates for the rest of the night.”

“I’d rather –”

“Before you finish that sentence, please know that I have no issue with making you pay for a new room. I’m only doing this because Raven and Anya want to spend time together.” Lexa opened the door and stepped aside. “If I had my way, I’d be gone anyway. Anya made me promise she’d get a full night with Raven though. So here I am.”

Stepping inside the quite, Clarke studied Lexa briefly. Then she smiled softly and shook her head.

“Maybe you aren’t as bad as I thought, Woods.”

****

The next morning, Clarke woke up confused.

Where was she?

Why did her mouth taste like paper and ashes?

Why was there a heartbeat under her ear?

Lifting her head, Clarke nearly swallowed her tongue.

How in the hell had she ended up in bed with Lexa Woods?

Freezing, Clarke tried to think back over the night… She remembered entering the suite with Lexa. She remembered the bickering and the snapping. She remembered… seeing Lexa walk out of her bedroom wearing the first band t-shirt _Sky_ had ever made.

The bickering had shifted to teasing then.

And then Lexa had opened a bottle of her favorite whiskey.

“You think very loud in the morning.” Lexa’s voice cut through Clarke’s panicked thoughts. “You always have. Just stop it.”

“You hate me.”

“As if, Clarke.”

Clarke sat up more, pulling the sheet with her. She had to force her eyes away from Lexa’s toned torso.

“You’ve been feeding the feud for over a year!”

“You’re the one who put a stop to us, Clarke.” Lexa reminded her gently. She lifted her hand, brushing a lock of hair behind Clarke’s ear. “I told you I had nothing to do with Octavia’s choice. I warned her against it. And then, before I could warn you, the media broke the story.”

“Lexa…”

“I told you all of this last year.”

Clarke shifted, leaning back against the headboard. “We can’t do this.”

“We already did.”

“You stole my best friend.”

Lexa huffed out a breath. She slid out of bed, sauntering toward her suitcase, and pulled on some clothes.

Then she returned to sit next to Clarke.

“I didn’t steal Octavia. She wanted to be closer to Lincoln. You were about to go on your world tour.”

“By your logic, Raven and I should have just dissolved _Sky_ and followed you and Anya on tour.”

Lexa smiled and bumped her shoulder gently. “Except you and I were never dating. Right?”

****

Somehow, and Clarke could never be sure how, they fell back into the same familiar routine.

Not that anyone else knew.

Clarke and Lexa would spend their days snapping and growling at each other, completely uncaring about the paparazzi and their rumors. But at night, or really whenever they could find time, they were wrapped up in a haze of lips and heat and passion.

“I can’t believe you said that,” Clarke panted against Lexa’s mouth.

“You told Kimmel you think our newest album sounds a lot like _Sky_ ’s first album!” Lexa protested, pulling back just enough to glare down at her.

Shrugging, Clarke smirked. “Got him talking, didn’t it?”

“Are you…” Lexa stopped, her hands freezing on Clarke’s breasts. “Did you set that up?”

“Of course I did!”

Lexa growled, dipping her head to nip at Clarke’s lips. “People are going to be going over that album with a fine tooth comb now!”

“So what?”

For just a second, Lexa stared down at gorgeous woman under her.

Surely Clarke knew.

But then… why the confusion all over her face?

“Did Raven not tell you?”

“What?” Clarke chuckled, loosely looping her arms around Lexa’s neck and pulling her in for another soft kiss. “Are you stealing Raven from my band too?”

“I didn’t steal Octavia from you.”

“What was she supposed to tell me?” Clarke asked.

Lexa allowed herself just a moment to enjoy Clarke’s fingertips tracing her spine. She tried to focus on the conversation, but those fingers… they were magic.

“Lex?”

“There’s a couple of songs, three actually, that I wrote.”

“You write all if _Tree Crew_ ’s songs.”

Shaking her head, Lexa pulled away, sitting back on her heels. She ran her hands through her sweaty, sex mussed hair.

“Seriously. What is going on?” Clarke sat up, wrapping the sheets around her chest.

“They’re about you. The songs, I mean. I wrote three songs about you.”

“Are they bashing me or something?” Clarke asked, tilting her head. She reached for Lexa’s hand, frowning when she pulled away. “Lexa? I’m not mad. We went through a pretty rough patch. I’m not going to hold it against you.”

Again, Lexa shook her head. She jumped from the bed and gathered up her clothes.

The scene would have made Clarke laugh if she hadn’t been so confused. Lexa was mimicking their movements earlier, searching for a missing sock.

“Just talk to me.”

“This was a mistake.”

That had Clarke freezing in the process of getting out of her massive bed. She sank back on her heels, brows drawn together and eyes narrowed.

“Excuse me?”

“I shouldn’t be here.” Lexa continued as if Clarke hadn’t spoken. “I can’t be here.”

“Are you for real right now?” Clarke called after her, glaring at her back as she practically ran for the front door.

“I’m sorry!”

****

Nearly three weeks had come and gone by the next time Clarke saw Lexa again. Raven had to beg and plead for over a week to convince Clarke to make an appearance at a friendly hang out Octavia and Lincoln were hosting at their new place.

They all knew a hang out would mean Clarke and Lexa face-to-face.

While they hadn’t necessarily told their friend about their hook-ups, they hadn’t exactly been subtle either.

“Just a few hours,” Raven reminded her as they approached the front door.

“Easy for you to say, you’re going to be swept away by Anya and everyone else will be paired off and I’ll be stuck with Lexa and –”

“That’s a lot of ‘and’s, Clarke. Take a deep breath and calm down.” Raven rolled her eyes and opened the door.

The house was packed with friends and family and people from the industry.

It took less than a minute for Anya to peel Raven away and disappear into the pool house. Just as Clarke had predicted.

Another twenty minutes went by before Clarke finally found Octavia and Lincoln in the kitchen.

“Hey!” Clarke called out over the noise.

“Clarke!” Octavia grinned and opened her arms for a hug.

Even after all the turmoil Octavia’s decision had caused, Clarke still melted into her embrace. O had always been the best hugger.

“She isn’t here,” Octavia whispered in her ear before pulling way. “It’s good to see, Griffin!”

“Why would I care if Lexa is here?” Clarke asked, her smile dampening a little.

Lincoln sighed and pulled her in for a hug. “She misses you too.”

****

It was later that night, after Clarke had finally made her way home, that she saw Lexa again.

“What are you doing here?” She asked, eyeing the woman leaning against the wall next to her door.

“I didn’t want everyone to watch us dance around each other tonight,” Lexa said. She pushed off the wall and approached Clarke slowly. “Can I come in?”

Clarke tilted her head and watched as Lexa moved closer. She didn’t speak until she stopped just inches away.

“That depends.”

“On what?”

“You going to run away again without telling me what’s going on?”

Huffing out a breath, Lexa smiled and shook her head. “No. I actually came here to explain that. If you’ll let me.”

“Only if you’ll let me order a pizza. Octavia was only serving booze and finger foods.” Clarke rolled her eyes.

“Did you bring me any cucumber sandwiches? Those are my favorite and I didn’t get any!”

****

It was dawn before they actually talked.

As soon as they entered the house, Clarke found herself pinned against the wall, Lexa pressing into her.

The next thing Clarke knew, she had a writhing Lexa underneath her. Since that was a view and feeling she’d thought she’d never have again, she took full advantage.

But then the sun started to rise and with it, Lexa was awake. She pulled on some sweats she found in Clarke’s closet before climbing back in bed. She even had a set of clothes for Clarke to put on.

“What?” Clarke whined when Lexa shook her awake.

“I told you we’d talk.” Lexa reminded her gently, kissing her lips and bopping her nose. “Let’s talk before the day gets crazy.”

Grumbling, Clarke slid out of bed and pulled on the shorts and hoodie Lexa handed her. Then she was back in bed, under the blankets and sighing.

“Talk.” She demanded.

“I wrote a lot of songs for the new album. More than a few were about you.” Lexa started, cutting straight to the meat of their issue.

Clarke sighed again, barely opening an eye to look up at her. “I told you I wouldn’t be offended if you wrote a mean song about me.”

“They’re love songs.”

In an instant, Clarke was up and out of the bed. Her eyes, normally a soft blue, turned stormy and dangerous.

“That’s not funny.” She bit out.

“I wasn’t joking.” Lexa replied.

Moving as slowly as she could, she made her way out of the bed and over to Clarke. She reached for Clarke’s hands.

“Don’t touch me.”

Holding up her hands, Lexa bent her knees to meet Clarke’s eyes. “I know the last time we were… when this all started, I said some things. And I know I shouldn’t have. I didn’t mean most of them anyway.”

“Just enough to make me not want to be around you.” Clarke snapped.

“I was scared.”

A bark of laughter burst from Clarke’s mouth. She swiped at her eyes and shook her head. “Seriously?”

“What I feel for you, even back then, it’s… it’s enormous. It feels life altering. And I’d just broken up with Costia –”

“Do not bring her into this.” Clarke insisted, her eyes darkening even more. “You told me you didn’t know if I was just a rebound. And that I shouldn’t have caught feelings.”

“I didn’t mean it!”

Clarke backed away. “That was last year.”

“I told you the next day I didn’t mean it! I sent flowers! I called and I texted! I tried to come over but you told your stupid bodyguard I wasn’t allowed on the property!” Lexa hurried to explain.

“Get out.”

“You told me you’d let me explain!”

Shaking her head, Clarke pointed at the small bag full of things Lexa had left over in the weeks since they’d started their… whatever it was they were, again.

“I’m serious, Lexa. Just take what’s yours and go.”

The last thing Clarke ever expected was for Lexa to bit her lip and nod before rushing toward her and picking her up fireman style.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“You said take what’s mine. That’s what I’m doing!”

Clarke squirmed one way and then the other, unable to break Lexa’s grip. “Put me down!”

“Are you going to let me talk?”

For just a second, Clarke considered refusing to hear her out. Then she sighed and said, “Fine. You have three minutes.”

Lexa set her on her feet again, holding on to her hips to make sure she was steady before she spoke. “I wrote those songs about you because I love you, Clarke!”

****

It was just over a year and a half later when Clarke and Lexa ended up walking down the aisle themselves. Lexa had surprised Clarke with a visit to Hawaii, proposing on the beach at sunset their first night there.

To Clarke’s everlasting joy, Lexa’s vows included a little anecdote about their fight over those three love songs.

When it was her turn, Clarke looked at her beautiful bride, beaming and happy in the sunlight. She smiled and she leaned in, eager for a kiss.

Raven’s hand burst between the two of them. “I didn’t say you could do that yet!”

“Come on!” Clarke whined.

“Vows first! Then kisses!” Raven shook her head.

Clarke stuck her tongue out at her friend before meeting Lexa’s eyes again. She read through her vows, promising to love and cherish and honor the woman before her. She promised to listen first, before jumping to conclusions. She promised to only make fun of Lexa’s songs a few times on press tours instead of all the time.

At the end of her vows, Clarke glanced at their friends and families and winked. Then she turned to Lexa and said, “And what I haven’t mentioned yet is that every single love song I’ve written since I met you was about you. And every new love song I hear played on the radio reminds me of you. And I cannot wait for us to compose a melody of our own, together, for the rest of our lives.”


	2. Fighting the Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke and Lexa have been friends their whole lives. And now... they have to say goodbye when Lexa is about to be deployed. 
> 
> All the while, Clarke is fighting back the words she’d yearning to say...

The beginning of summer has always been Clarke’s favorite time of year. As a child, it meant freedom for the next three months.

Now, she’s facing her first summer without Lexa at her side.

She sighs as she lounges on the couch. Her eyes are glued to the ceiling and she thinks about her options for the night.

Her mom is at work, in the middle of a sixteen-hour surgery.

Octavia is still in California, having decided to stay and train with her university lacrosse team throughout the summer.

There’s always Raven, but she’s been acting more secretive than usual lately.

Harper, Monty, Bellamy, Jasper… all her high school friends have moved on and found lives. Not that she doesn’t see them, she does, but they all had plans and none of them sound interesting to Clarke.

Glancing at the clock, she sighs again.

Lexa is home right now. It’s been seven months since they’d seen each other last. That was when Lexa came home right after boot camp.

They had a great time, spending nearly a week straight together. Then Costia had popped back into their lives and Clarke, thinking she was helping Lexa out, took a step back so the exes could spend some time together.

Costia hasn’t hidden her desire to reclaim Lexa as her girlfriend.

Tonight is Lexa’s last night in town. Clarke has only seen her in passing since she’s actively tried to stay away.

Ever since she’d discovered her feelings for Lexa, the ones she’d kept buried for years, she hates to see Costia hanging around. Clarke was sure that made her a bad friend. She wants Lexa to be happy, she does, but…

Some things just hurt too much.

A third sigh escaped Clarke’s lips.

She’s reaching for her phone, about to text Raven, fully prepared to beg for a distraction, when there’s a knock on the front door.

This time, it’s a groan that Clarke lets out as she heaves herself off the couch.

Another knock echoes through the house.

“I’m coming! I’m coming!” she calls out.

She throws the door open and gasps.

“Hey, C,” Lexa smiles and leans against the doorframe.

“Lex?”

Lexa glances around, hoping she’s not interrupting. “Are you alone? Can I come in?”

“What?” Clarke blinks up at her best friend. She looks over Lexa’s shoulder, fully expecting to see Costia standing there. “Are you… where’s Costia?”

“No idea. I wanted to spend some time with my best friend.” Lexa smiles, leaning forward, ducking her head and bending her knees to meet Clarke’s eyes. “I know you’ve been avoiding me. And I know why. But it’s my last night at home and I want to spend it with you.”

Clarke swallows thickly. She let her eyes dance between Lexa’s and she smiles. “What about your mom and dad? Or Anya?”

“I’ve been with them all week!” Lexa proclaims with an eye roll. She stands up straight, hiking the shoulder strap of her overnight bag further up on her shoulder. “Please don’t make me go back there! I can only play so many games of Settlers of Catan before I lose my mind! And I need my wits, C!”

“I know. Because you’re being sent…” Clarke bites her lips and shakes her head. “You won’t be around. You need to keep your wits.”

Lexa smirks and nods. “You’ve heard Dad’s stories too. You know what I’m heading into.”

“I’m going to miss you.” Clarke offers as she steps aside and lets Lexa enter the house.

Arms wrap around Clarke’s shoulders, pulling her in for a hug. Lexa’s head leans down, her cheek resting on the top of Clarke’s head. She smiles when she feels Clarke’s arms loop around her waist.

“You know I’ll miss you,” Lexa says, rocking from side-to-side. “Want to be my pen pal?”

“I’ll write you every day?” Clarke laughs through a sniffle.

“How about email every day? And a letter a couple times a week?”

Clarke snorts and shakes her head. “Are you negotiating the level of contact we’ll have while you’re off fighting…”

Licking her lips, Lexa bites her lips and nods. She blinks back tears before she leans back, cupping Clarke’s face.

“No more talk about that okay? Not tonight.”

“Promise?”

Lexa tilts her head, smiling and winking. “Only if you buy me pizza.”

****

Two hours later, the lifelong friends are giggling and chatting. They smile and tease, swapping stories about their time away from each other. Settled in the living room, they move the coffee table out of the way, spreading a few blankets on the floor for comfort.

“I swear,” Lexa laughs and wipes at her eyes. She tries to level her breathing but it’s too no avail. “It was survival training, Clarke! But apparently Lincoln had never seen poison ivy and he used a vine to secure his shelter and… let’s just say he got poison ivy in a place no one should ever have to deal with it!”

“But why the nickname?”

Lexa sniffles again and smiles. “Rash?”

“Yeah.”

“Well,” Lexa says slowly. “His last name is Gongora-Bosch. And someone gave him the nickname ‘gonorrhea’ and –”

“Lexa Woods!”

Throwing her head back and letting out a loud laugh, Lexa could only shrug. “I’m not even sorry! He had a rash and he said there was burning!”

“I cannot believe you!”

“We had to change it because then Ontari, another girl in our unit got the clap and she was so salty about the STI names that we just changed it to ‘Rash’.” Lexa explains easily. She laughs some more at the incredulous look on Clarke’s face. “I actually tried to convince Rash to come home with me. I want to introduce him to Octavia. Then she decided to stay in California.”

Clarke snorts loudly at that. “You better not call him Rash then. Bellamy won’t let him anywhere near O if he hears about it.”

“Bellamy is a tool.” Lexa rolls her eyes.

Nodding, Clarke sighs and rolls to her stomach, propping her head on her hands. She watches Lexa take another bite of cold pizza, smiling when the toppings slide off and slap her on the chin.

“He asked me out.” Clarke says softly.

That has Lexa coughing. She slams her hand against her chest, trying to clear her airway. When Clarke tries to sit up to help her, Lexa only shakes her head and holds up a finger.

“Are you kidding me?” Lexa finally manages to gasp.

“Nope.” Clarke shakes her head.

For a few seconds, Lexa can only stare at her. Then she waves her hands wildly. “Well?”

“Well what?”

“What’d you say?” Lexa demands.

It hurts.

Clarke tries to fight the flinch. Hearing Lexa ask about her love life was nearly as painful as hearing Lexa talk about her own.

 _Don’t go there_.

Clarke smiles and starts to speak when Lexa shakes her head again.

“I don’t even know why I asked. You said no!” Lexa laughs again. “Can you imagine? He’s always been such a creeper. Maybe even worse than Finn!”

“I said no,” Clarke nods.

They fall into silence then. Clarke smiles scoots just a little closer to her friend. Lexa leans back against the couch, opening her arms for Clarke to crawl into her side.

“Want to watch a movie?” Lexa whispers once Clarke is settled.

“When do you have to leave for the airport?” Clarke asks.

Lexa shakes her head. “You mean when do we leave? Because you’re absolutely going with me.”

“Right,” Clarke replies, burying her face in Lexa’s chest. She blushes and bites her lips, trying to keep from asking about Costia.

“We’re heading out at eight. I know it’s way before your summer alarms but I’d…” Lexa stops when her voice warbles a bit. She clears her throat and shakes her head. “I’d really just like you to be there. If you want to.”

Nodding, Clarke finally lifts her head and smiles. “I would really love to be there. Thank you.”

“Anya is not at all happy about sharing the backseat with us,” Lexa says. She snorts as she searches for something to watch. “Mom wants to drive so Dad can do his ‘I have all the advice in the world for you, kid’ thing without nearly killing us.”

Clarke shakes her head and laughs a little. “At least his advice will be relevant this time!”

****

The next morning comes too soon.

Somehow, they make it up to Clarke’s bedroom, climbing into her bed around midnight. In a very uncharacteristic move, Clarke wakes up before Lexa. She is awake at least an hour before their alarms were set to go off.

She wakes to find herself in Lexa’s arms. Her back is pressed to Lexa’s chest, her butt is cradled in Lexa’s hips, and her feet are tangled with Lexa’s legs. Her fingers are laced with Lexa’s under her pillow. She smiles and turns her head into the pillow.

Shifting slightly, Clarke turns to her back. She watches Lexa sleep, giggling at the little snores escaping. Lexa resettles, an arm and leg flung across Clarke’s stomach and thighs.

That’s exactly how she spends the time before the alarms. She watches Lexa sleep, itching for a pencil and some paper to capture the moment.

She settles for a subtle picture, or thirteen, on her phone.

When the alarms finally sound, Clarke gets to watch her best friend wake up.

The woman she loves is waking up in her bed.

The thought dashes through her mind and makes her blush.

“Morning.” Lexa breathes. Her fingers scratch at Clarke’s stomach. “Did you sleep okay?”

“I’m going to miss you,” Clarke says in response. Her eyes dance over Lexa’s face, taking her in once again.

Lexa’s smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “Clarke…”

“I need to tell you that. Before we’re with Anya and we know she’s going to tease us. Before your dad is giving you advice I hate that you’ll need. Before your mom cries on my shoulder. I just… I need you to know I am going to miss you. I don’t think you know how much I…” Clarke stops herself short. She can’t say it. It wouldn’t be fair to drop that kind of news on Lexa’s shoulders now. Not today. “You’ll never know how much you mean to me.”

“Not nearly as much as you mean to me, C,” Lexa replies.

Ducking her head, Clarke burrows under Lexa’s chin. Their arms wrap around each other and hold tight.

A secondary alarm, one they knew they’d need, sounds loudly. Lexa kisses the top of Clarke head and rubs her back.

“We have to go,” Lexa smiles against the blonde hair. “You know Mom and Dad are going to be prompt.”

****

She’s right of course. The Woods arrive at exactly eight o’clock. A groggy Anya is with them, grumbling as soon as Clarke slides into the middle seat.

Being in that familiar seat, squished between the two Woods sisters, has Clarke’s eyes burning with held back tears.

The airport is only forty-five minutes from Clarke’s house. When they’re thirty minutes out, Clarke feels Lexa reaching for her hand. She laces their fingers together and holds tight.

Lexa’s dad is speaking, telling Lexa what to look out for while she’s “over there” and what things to make sure she does. His chest expands with pride when he mentions, for the fifth time, that Lexa is one of the first female members of a special operations unit.

“We didn’t have those in my day!”  He proclaims, turning to smile at his youngest daughter. “I barely made it through that training! My daughter though? Flies right through!”

When they’re fifteen minutes out, Anya finally seems to wake up a little.

“Do you have a picture of Clarke?” She asks.

Lexa’s brows come together as she leans around Clarke to look at her sister. “What?”

“Clarke. Your bff. Your boo.” Anya nudges Clarke with her elbow and winks. “You have a picture of her? To put in your helmet or whatever?”

Clarke turns back to Lexa, laughing at the blush spreading up her neck.

She ignores the wobble in her chin and the water she can hear in her own voice.

“You do!” Anya gasps and points her finger in Lexa’s face. “Which one? What’s it look like? Show me!”

“Shut up, Ahn!” Lexa bites out.

Clarke turns her head and presses her smile into Lexa’s bare shoulder.

“Show me!” Anya insists.

Lexa hisses and shakes her head.

“Leave your sister alone, Anya.” Lexa’s mom insists. She meets Lexa’s eyes in the rearview mirror and winks.

Clarke lifts her head, leaning her chin on Lexa’s shoulder. She squeezes Lexa’s hand, drawing her attention. “It’s okay. I’m happy you’ll have a picture of me. That way you won’t forget me.”

“As if I could.” Lexa responds. She presses her forehead to Clarke’s and smiles.

“All those other marines are going to be so jealous of you! Having a hot girl like Clarke waiting at home!” Anya says loudly, cutting into their moment.

That has Clarke blushing.

“Shut up, Anya,” Lexa snaps. She shakes her head and turns to watch look the window.

That only goads her sister into nudging Clarke again. Anya smiles and winks. “We all know the truth. It’s okay.”

****

It almost feels like Clarke has a softball in her throat by the time they park at the airport. She trails behind the Woods family, dreading what she knows is coming.

Lexa doesn’t let her lag for long.

Soon, Lexa and Clarke are walking behind the rest of their group. The weight of their new reality, of what may happen after they part ways, has them slowing with each step. Lexa’s arm is draped over Clarke’s shoulder, Clarke’s is around Lexa’s waist.

When they reach security, Lexa pulls Clarke to a stop well away from her family.

“Clarke, I –”

“Lexa!”

The new voice has them turning around.

“Costia?” Lexa’s brows draw together and, though Clarke can’t see it, her eyes narrowing.

“Hey!”

Coming to a stop immediately, Clarke watches as Costia rushes forward. She tries to shove Clarke away, tries to gain enough room to hug Lexa, but Lexa doesn’t move, doesn't relinquish her hold on Clarke.

“Lex?”

“I’ve told you not to call me that,” Lexa bites out. She reaches around Costia and takes Clarke’s hand again. “I also told you not to come here. I said all I needed to say the other night.”

Clarke’s jaw drops as they walk away.

“Lex?”

“I freaking told her to stay away from me.” Lexa huffs as they join the Woods. She turns to Clarke and smiles sadly. “I’m sorry about that.”

Clarke only shakes her head and smiles.

After another apology, Lexa turns to her parents and sister, giving each of them a hug. She holds Clarke’s hand tightly the entire time.

Just when Clarke starts to feel the burn of tears again, Lexa’s dad holds out a piece of paper.

“What’s that?” Clarke asks, reaching out to take it.

“The cheapest ticket we could find,” he responds with a smile. “It’ll get you through security.”

“Lexa’s flight doesn’t leave for a couple of hours,” Lexa’s mom adds. She bumps Anya with her hip and says, “this one will be back to get you.”

Somehow, Clarke manages to fight off tears again as she hugs the Woods parents.

“We knew you’d want to spend a bit more time with her,” Anya says when Clarke hugs her. “I know how much she means to you.”

****

Security only takes a few minutes to get through. Lexa takes Clarke’s hand again as soon as they’re through. Soon enough, they’re at B-12, Lexa’s gate.

They settle into chairs and they’re in their own little world. They reminisce, they talk about the adventures they’ve shared, they talk about the adventures they still want to go on.

Before they know it, the time has come and gone. There’s only five or so minutes before Lexa’s flight loads and she’s carried away.

Lexa blushes, reaching into her pocket to pull out her wallet. She grabs a picture, staring at it for a few seconds before handing it to Clarke.

“I hope you don’t mind,” Lexa says. She smirks and shrugs. “I kept it with me through training. Talked to you when I was in survival school.”

It is an innocent enough picture. Just Clarke in a plain black t-shirt and a jean jacket, leaning against a wall. Lexa had taken it when they’d been on vacation in New York City.

“Why would I mind?” Clarke shakes her head and smiles. She’s flattered that Lexa wants a piece of her with her on the other side of the world.

“Clarke,” Lexa breathes. She clears her throat, swallowing thickly right after. “I need… I want…”

“Good morning ladies and gentlemen,” the gate attendant’s voice cuts through on the PA system. “We’re going to be boarding here in a minute or two. We ask that any passengers with small children and military members please approach the gate at this time for priority boarding.”

Lexa’s eyes fly back to Clarke’s.

There’s panic there.

Suddenly, they’re standing and their arms are wrapped tightly around each other.

This time, Clarke can’t fight the tears. She’s crying into Lexa’s neck and holding on as tightly as she can.

“Clarke,” Lexa rubs her back. “It’ll be okay. I’ll be okay.”

“It’s a year!” Clarke sniffles and shakes her head.

Lexa nods and bites at her lips. She pulls in a deep breath. “Clarke, I’ll be back before you can miss me. I promise you. And we’ll email. And I’ll call when I can. It won’t be all that different from last year.”

“You come back to me,” Clarke says as she lifts her head to stare into Lexa’s eyes. “I’m serious.”

Nodding, Lexa promises, “I will.”

Tucking herself back into Lexa’s neck, Clarke stops fighting herself and she whispers through her tears, “I love you.”

“What?” Lexa says softly. “Clarke? I can’t hear you.”

She says it again, louder this time, “I love you. I need you to be safe, Lex. I love you and I can’t…”

“I love you too, C. You know I do.” Lexa smiles against blonde hair. She presses a kiss there too. “You’re… you’re my person.”

“Ladies and gentlemen,” The gate attendant speaks again, “passengers with small children and military members are welcome to board now.”

Lexa pulls back, presses a kiss to Clarke’s forehead. “It’ll be okay, C. I promise.”


	3. Reenactments Are Not for Amateurs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke and Lexa are graduate students on a dig on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. They spend some free time helping the locals with a reenactment of Middle Age life.
> 
> But is it a reenactment?

Sometimes, being in university was more fun than Clarke ever expected. Somehow, she’d managed to convince her mother to continue to pay her tuition, even after she switched her major. Of course, anthropology with a minor in art history was respectable according to Abby Griffin.

She was just happy it wasn’t art.

It was her graduate program that Clarke had used to travel around the world, studying peoples and cultures.

That was how Clarke found herself in Scotland, on the Isle of Skye. She and her class, just twelve other students, had joined their professor on a dig.

For the last month, Clarke had been sleeping in a tent, working long hours on the site of an Iron Age home. Her tent-mate, a weirdly quiet girl who growled a little too much named Ontari, had asked for a free day to go exploring.

Much to Clarke’s relief, Professor Indra Forrester had given the class a few days off. With the rain in the forecast, it was likely they wouldn’t be able to work anyway.

And that was how Clarke found herself in her current predicament.

Standing next to her was Lexa Woods.

Somehow, they’d been roped into a reenactment of life in the late Middle Ages on the island.

“Miss Griffin,” Dr. Forrester tried to interject when a more than slightly inebriated Clarke stumbled toward the front of the room. “I really must advise against this!”

“It’s all good, Doctor G!” Clarke waved off her protests. She smiled and tugged an equally drunk Lexa toward the tall, bearded man at the end of the walkway. “They’re just showing the tourists what life used to be like! Isn’t that kind of what we’re here for?”

Lexa only nodded and smiled at their professor. “We’re just making sure it’s all accurate.”

****

The next morning, Clarke awoke to find herself tucked into a bed she didn’t recognize. She started to sit up, only to groan and bury her face into her pillow.

Beds should never feel like they’re a boat on the ocean.

Just as her stomach settled, she realized there was a hand holding her left boob.

Looking down at her chest, her eyes followed the tanned arm up to her side and over and…

Lexa Woods!

Why the hell was she in bed with Lexa fucking Woods?

Turning her head back, too quickly to avoid the wave of vertigo it caused, she stared at Lexa’s hand. Then she realized…

They were naked!

She could feel every inch of Lexa’s deliciously toned –

No.

Dammit, Clarke!

She shook her head and pulled in a deep breath.

As slowly as she could manage, she pulled her right hand from behind her back where she seemed to be holding tightly to Lexa’s left hand.

It wasn’t until the hands were free from the prison of their bodies that Clarke realized their hands were tied together.

“What the hell?” Lexa’s sleepy voice whispered in Clarke’s ear.

Long fingers that Clarke had definitely never daydreamt about tightened momentarily on Clarke’s breast. Once, twice, and then a third time.

“It’s not a toy, you know.” Clarke couldn’t help laughing at the repetitive squeezes.

“I think that’s debatable,” Lexa whispered. She glanced around before dropping her head onto the pillow. “Am I dreaming?” 

Clarke shook her head. She rolled to her back, lifting the sheet that had fallen to their waists up to cover them to their necks.

“If you are, I am.” She replied with a smile.

“How?”

Laughing, Clarke shrugged. “I have no idea but I’m not mad about it. I’ve been trying to get you in my bed since the first day of the program.”

“You have not!”

“No one is that oblivious, Lexa.” Clarke teased. She lifted her free hand and booped Lexa on the nose. “And you’re obviously not that upset about it, regardless of whatever you’re about to say about Costia.”

Lexa stiffened at the mention of her ex-girlfriend. “You know nothing about my relationship with Costia.”

“That may be true. Except Raven Reyes is my best friend. That same Raven is engaged to your cousin. And your cousin,” Clarke said with a smile and wink, “she has loose lips after Raven blows her mind.”

“That still doesn’t mean you know what I’m thinking right now!”

Bite her lip, Clarke studied Lexa’s face for a moment. Then she smiled again. “That’s true. But I do know that your fingers have been circling my nipple for the last few minutes. And, from the very little I remember last night, you are very much a boob girl. That makes me your type right?”

Lexa’s hand froze on Clarke’s chest as green eyes dropped. She was about to defend herself when she realized she couldn’t move her left hand.

“Clarke?”

“Lexa?”

“Why are our hands tied together?”

Shrugging again, Clarke leaned closer to Lexa, trying to gauge her reaction. Sleep tousled Lexa was sexy and after the teasing Lexa hadn’t even realized was happening, Clarke really wanted to see if her lips were as soft as she thought she remembered.

“I’m serious,” Lexa said, not moving any further away. She was nearly cross-eyed by the time Clarke stopped pressing in. “What happened?”

Clarke didn’t answer. Not right away anyway.

She ran the tip of her nose up the length of Lexa’s, pausing to kiss the tip of Lexa’s nose. Then she pulled away and watched Lexa’s eyes droop shut.

It was a gentle kiss. Clarke caught Lexa’s bottom lip between hers and feasted on the pillowy softness.

When they separated, Clarke pressed their foreheads together and breathed in all that was Lexa.

“I knew you were going to be good at that.” She said with a smile.

Lexa blushed and nodded. “I might have thought about whether or not you were going to be good at it as well.”

“I think,” Clarke said as she held up their tied hands, “We may have helped demonstrate a hand fasting ceremony last night. And then… maybe we got carried away?”

****

They returned to the dig the next day, still wrapped up in their sexy cloud of lust. They’d had a good laugh over the reenactment, determined to find Indra and tell her what had taken place.

“I was there,” Indra said with an eye roll.

“What?” Lexa and Clarke spoke at the same time.

Shaking her head, Indra produced a roll of parchment and slapped it into Lexa’s hand. “You two have officially been hand fasted.”

“What?” Lexa blanched. “What do you mean?”

“I tried to tell you it wasn’t fake. There was a ceremony for couples the day before yesterday and you tow drunken idiots thought it was a reenactment.”

“So what?” Clarke asked. When the other two turned to face her, she shrugged. “It isn’t legally binding. It isn’t like we got married.”

Lexa nodded before she unrolled the parchment. What little color she had left in her face drained away.

“Except we are.”

“What?” Clarke tilted her head to read the scroll.

Lexa handed it to her, bending at the waist and pulling in deep breaths. “We’re fucking married.”

“No way!”

“You’ll have to stay married for at least a year and a day. Since you consummated your marriage, loudly and repeatedly I might add,” Indra arched a brow and looked between the two of them. Lexa was still bent over, looking like she was about to be sick while Clarke read the scroll over and over again and rubbed Lexa’s back. “You’re married. And this particular ceremony, there’s no divorce. Congraulations.”

“Indra,” Lexa breathed as she stood. She shook her head. “You know I can’t be married. Mom and Dad… they’ll kill me.”

Indra shrugged and reached for the scroll in Clarke’s hand. “My brother and sister-in-law may actually approve of your wife actually. She has connections you know?”

Clarke only shook her head. “My parents have connections. I have a half finished masters degree in anthropology.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Indra replied with a small smile. “I’ve already told Miss Winters to vacate your tent, Mrs. Woods. Mrs. Griffin? Mrs. Griffin-Woods? I’m not sure what you’ll decide to go with, let me know when you decide. At any rate, Ontari has moved out so the two of you can live together, fulfilling the contract you signed.”

****

Six months later, Lexa and Clarke found themselves back in New York City. They’d completed their class on the Isle of Skye and were now returning home just in time for the holidays.

Their parents were aware of what happened, of the hand fasting and the marriage and all that. To say they’d been lectured would have been putting it nicely.

Since Lexa’s apartment was bigger and closer to the university, it was decided that they’d live there. Clarke took over the spare room, trying to stay out of Lexa’s way.

The first time she came home and found Costia sitting in the living room, she’d been surprised by the flash of white-hot jealousy coursing through her. She’d stalked to her room, ignoring Lexa when she called out her name.

When Lexa had revealed Costia’s purpose in being there, namely to win Lexa back, Clarke had only nodded and smiled.

“I know we had fun in Scotland but I know you don’t love me, Lex.”

“Clarke –”

Shaking her head, Clarke fought back tears and forced her tone to be even when she continued, “if she’s who makes you happy, go for it.”

****

Neither of them had much success dating. Even with Costia trying her hardest to win Lexa back, nothing worked.

By, on their nine-month anniversary, when their parents had all come together to celebrate the young couple, Clarke and Lexa found themselves falling into bed together again. They’d said it was the booze and the atmosphere and the speeches, that it wouldn’t happen again.

They were wrong.

It happened the next night, and the next night, and the next night.

Once those floodgates were open, they couldn’t shut them again.

Suddenly, they were in the honeymoon phase they never thought they’d have. Every waking moment, every spare minute, all of their time was spent together. Lexa helped Clarke with her homework and Clarke helped Lexa with her papers. They surprised each other with gifts and home cooked meals.

Neither of them knew the other was fighting back saying those three little words.

Not until their eleven-month anniversary.

While everyone else was planning some sort of divorce party, Lexa surprised Clarke with trip to Isle of Skye. Finding the same hall where they’d accidentally tied their futures together, Lexa proposed to Clarke for real.

It was the first time they’d spoken their ‘I love you’s out loud to each other.

****

A year and a day.

That’s how long a hand fast ceremony was meant to last.

Instead, Lexa and Clarke had managed to throw together a beautiful and elegant wedding. Surprisingly, their parents were okay with the marriage. Anyone who spent any time with the young women could tell they were made for each other.

And so, Lexa wore a dress covered in the Woods tartan as she waited for Clarke to walk down the aisle. At the first glance of her wife, she couldn’t fight the tears.

Neither of them would remember much about the wedding ceremony. Not until their vows.

“Lexa,” Clarke breathed her wife’s name and smiled around the clicks. “It has only been a year but I feel like we’ve lived a million lifetimes together. You make me feel like I can do anything, like I can be anyone. And yet, you make sure my feet are on the ground, walking alongside you while my head is dancing amongst the stars. You’re my levelheaded better half, my pragmatic partner, and my… well, my love, you are my future. I cannot wait to spend the rest of our lives falling in love and going on adventures with you.”

Swallowing thickly, Lexa smiled and nodded when Clarke finished. She lifted Clarke’s hand, kissing her knuckles before she spoke. “My darling Clarke. I tried to write my vows over and over again in the last few months. Yes, even before I asked you to marry me in front of our friends and family, I was practicing what’d I say. In the end, I found myself researching hand fasting ceremonies. That’s where I found the vows I thought fit us perfectly.”

“Oh really?” Clarke laughed, her blue eyes dancing with mirth.

“Yes,” Lexa nodded and stuck her tongue out. “Those vows go something like this. You cannot possess me for I belong to myself. You cannot command me, for I am a free person. But I pledge to you that yours will be the name I cry aloud in the night and the eyes into which I smile in the morning.”

“That was beautiful, Lex,” Clarke said with a sniffle.

Reaching up to gently wipe away a tear from Clarke’s cheek, Lexa shrugged. “I needed words to my your beauty, my love. I cannot wait to spend the rest of this life and all my lives with you.”


	4. Misperceptions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Popular Lexa meets nerdy Clarke. There's a spark but there's also a bit of resistance there. But why?

There wasn’t much that Lexa Woods disliked in her life. She had money, a close-knit family, friends she’d fight and die for. Really, she had everything she needed. Being the star of her university’s soccer team was just gravy for her.

One thing she did dislike, one thing she hated, was seeing people harassed or bullied.

“It’s up to the haves to help the have-nots, Alexandria,” her father would always tell her.

She never thought much of it. She led by example.

Until the first day of her senior year of university.

She was walking to class, going over her schedule for the day, when she heard the shouts. Craning her neck, she spotted a group of guys standing around another girl.

The things they were shouting were… not for polite company.

“Leave her alone, Tristan,” Lexa called out, shaking her head as she turned to head that direction.

“Back off, Woods,” Tristan said. He sneered at the approaching figure. “We’re just having some fun. Clarkey here doesn’t mind.”

Finally, Lexa managed to insert herself between the shorter woman and the men. “I said leave her alone. Find something else to do.”

“What do you care?” Tristan snapped.

“Just walk away,” Lexa said with a shake of her head. She smirked at the man. “Unless you want to go for round two. I’ll only use my left hand this time, to make it fair.”

That had Tristan snapping his mouth shut. His lip curled up as she snarled. “You think you’re so great, Woods. You’ll get yours someday.”

“Not from you.” Lexa responded, arching a brow and watching them walk away.

“Thank you,” a soft voice behind her spoke up. “I was just trying to –”

Lexa shot a quick smile, not even looking at the woman. “Don’t mention it. Just… try to stay away from Tristan and his friends. They’re not usually up to much good.”

****

It was just a couple weeks later, Lexa found herself hosting a victory party in her apartment. She’d led her team to victory for the fourth straight game. Her teammates were shouting and cheering as news of their Number One ranking was announced.

“Lexa!” Anya, their goalkeeper, shouted over the noise.

“What?”

“Your new neighbor is here!”

Craning her neck, Lexa searched for this mysterious neighbor.

“The blonde in the doorway,” Anya said, leaning in and pointing toward the door. “The one who looks like she’d rather be anywhere but here.”

Across the room, green eyes met blue, and time seemed to slow down. Lexa moved through the crowd of her teammates and their friends, her eyes never leaving the woman’s in her doorway.

“Hey,” Lexa said, her voice a little louder than necessary. “Everything okay?”

“You’re having a party.”

Blinking, Lexa opened and closed her mouth a few times without actually speaking. She glanced behind her, watching the party swirl around her home.

“It’s a Sunday night,” the woman added after nearly a minute of silence. “It’s almost midnight and, uh, I have class at 7:30 in the morning.”

“Right…” Lexa said slowly.

Licking her lips, the woman waited again. But Lexa didn’t say anything else.

“Could you, maybe, just turn the music down a little? Organic chemistry isn’t the easiest subject to follow on no sleep,” She said, hoping Lexa would finally get it. “I’m sorry, I mean, I’m not trying to be a buzz kill, you all seem to be having all kinds of fun. I just really need to sleep.”

“Of course,” Lexa finally said. She nodded slowly and cleared her throat. She offered a hand and smiled down at the woman. “I’m Lexa by the way.”

“I know,” the woman replied with a small smile. “You helped me out a few weeks ago with that Tristan guy. His friends said your name before you came over.”

Wracking her brain, Lexa tried to remember seeing this gorgeous woman before. She’d never even seen her in the building, let alone campus.

“Right,” the woman said slowly. She cleared her throat and smiled again. “I’m sorry for killing the party. And, uh, congratulations on the win, Lexa.”

****

No matter how much she tried, Lexa couldn’t catch her neighbor. She didn’t seem to keep a normal sort of schedule. It didn’t seem to matter if she left in the early morning or any other time of the day.

“It’s getting a little sad, Lexa,” Anya teased, nudging her captain as they walked through campus. “Just… like, knock on her door. Or leave a note.”

“I can’t!”

“Why?”

Shaking her head, Lexa sighed. “I just can’t.”

“Because you’re Lexa Woods? And you can’t, what? You can’t be seen as actually pursuing a woman?”

“I don’t even know her name!”

Smiling, Anya nudged her again. “She’s got a class with Raven.”

“What?” Lexa stopped in her tracks.

“Have I not mentioned that?” Anya asked, tilting her head and grinning.

Hurrying to catch up, Lexa grabbed hold of Anya’s shoulder. “What do you mean?”

“She’s actually one of Raven’s good friends from DC. They grew up together and all that.” Anya continued. She shrugged off Lexa’s hand. “There’s some kind of torrid history there, Raven won’t tell me, but they’re tight now.”

“What’s her name?”

Catching Lexa’s elbow, Anya pulled her to the edge of the sidewalk. “I’d love to help you out, Lexa. I would. But it seems you haven’t made the best impression on her. And since I’d like to keep in my girlfriend’s good graces, I’m staying out of it.”

“Seriously?”

Anya nodded. “But I will tell you that she likes red velvet cupcakes and those garlic cheeseburgers from the diner.”

****

It was about a month after their first chat in the hallway that Lexa finally ran into her neighbor again.

“Hey!” Lexa said, a little too chipper for her liking.

“Hello.”

Lexa glanced down at the woman, her eyes taking in her curvaceous body quickly. She was about six inches shorter than Lexa, but it seemed like she’d be the perfect height to bury her face in Lexa’s neck.

_Whoa. Slow down there!_

Clearing her throat, Lexa reached out to help her with her books. “Can I carry some of these? I’m pretty sure you’ve got to have bigger muscles than I do to lug these around!”

“Wouldn’t have to if _someone_ wasn’t throwing parties every other day.” The woman reluctantly allowed Lexa to take a couple of the massive textbooks from the top of the pile in her arm.

But only because her hands were starting to fall asleep.

“Have you been avoiding me?” Lexa couldn’t stop herself from asking.

“More like avoiding the circus that follows you everywhere.”

“What?”

Scoffing, the woman looked up at her. She rolled her eyes at the eager expression she found on Lexa’s face. “Look. No offense, but I’ve seen the girls trailing behind you. I’ve seen the guys hurry to duck out of your way. I’ve noticed it all.”

“Huh?”

“I was that girl in high school, you know? Popular, had all the friends, the best car, the cool parents. But life changes and now I have to focus on school to achieve actual goals that matter in the real world.”

Lexa trailed just behind her, brows knitted and eyes narrowed. “You think I’m shallow?”

“I think you’re Lexa Woods. Soccer star, destined to play for the National Team.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

Sighing, the woman pressed the button to call the elevator. “Not a thing. But I’m a double major and aiming to have my bachelor’s a year early. I’m on track to graduate in the spring so I don’t have time to deal with distractions.”

“I distract you?” Lexa said slowly, a small smile bending the corner of her lips.

“What?”

Lexa moved to stand in front of her, smiling down at her. “What’s your name?”

“Why? It won’t be added to your list of conquests.”

“Maybe I don’t want your name on that list.”

“No?”

Shaking her head and leaning a shoulder against the wall of the elevator, Lexa smirked. “Maybe I want you to be at the top of my new list.”

“And what list is that?”

“I think it’ll be the only list that will ever really matter.”

Lexa stared down into blue eyes, content to let her words sink in to what was surely the greatest and brightest mind she’d ever come across. When the elevator dinged, announcing their arrival in the lobby, she handed back the books she’d been carrying.

“I’m sorry about the parties. We’ll find somewhere else to have them.” She winked. “Wouldn’t want you hurting yourself carting all those books around.”

She turned and walked away. It’d been a short of illuminating conversation.

“Lexa!” The woman called out. When she turned back, the woman had one brow arched and the barest hint of a smile. “My name is Clarke.”

****

After that ride in the elevator, Lexa saw a little more of Clarke. In fact, once Raven found out the secret had been revealed, she’d demanded a group hang out.

Somehow, Lexa had been assigned the duty of forcing Clarke out of her apartment for an evening of drinking and laughter at the house Raven shared with Anya.

“Clarke?” She called out as she knocked on the door. “I’m not sure if you’re planning on coming to Anya and Raven’s – ”

The door swung open.

And Lexa’s jaw dropped.

Clarke wasn’t in her usual jeans and a t-shirt.

Nope.

She was in jeans still but she’d traded the t-shirt in for a tank top that Lexa was sure would be burned into her memories, and her dreams, for the rest of her life. The flannel shirt tied around her hips, a simple black and red plaid, completed the look.

“Wow.” Lexa breathed.

Clarke snorted and lifted her hand to gently push Lexa back, out of her doorway. “You really are a useless lesbian. Anya was right.”

“I am not!”

“I’m wearing a tank top, not lingerie.”

Lexa lifted her fist to her lips, biting on one of her knuckles.

That wasn’t an image she was prepared to be thinking about.

“See?” Clarke laughed again. “Useless.”

“Have you seen you?”

****

The evening passed quickly. Clarke hardly complained about missing out on her study time.

Probably because the first time she did, Raven made her put a dollar in a swear jar.

Still, the quiet night helped Lexa get a clearer view on Clarke and who she was. And honestly, Lexa really liked what she was discovering.

When Clarke insisted on heading home at eleven, Lexa offered to catch a ride with her.

“I was planning on walking,” Clarke replied, untying the shirt from around her hips. As she slid her arms into the sleeves, she looked up at Lexa. “You can walk with me if you’d like, I guess. It’s just too nice outside to not enjoy the weather.”

And so they walked.

Somehow, about halfway to their building, Lexa found the courage to loop an arm around Clarke’s shoulders. Much to her surprise, Clarke moved a little closer, nestling herself into Lexa’s side.

“Putting the moves on me?” Clarke teased.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Lexa said. She rubbed her hand up and down Clarke’s arm, hoping to keep her warm against the slight chill in the air. “You’re not like… you’re different. I don’t have a game plan here.”

Clarke hummed in response, not entirely sure what to say.

“I’d like to take you out some time, Clarke.”

“What about your lady killer reputation?”

Lexa slowed her pace, stopping underneath a streetlight. She turned Clarke so they were facing each other. “What do you mean?”

“See, I think you’re actually pretty great. I can hear you singing to yourself while you study or cook or whatever. I know you call your grandparents a few times a week and every time you call, you have to explain how to use the Alexa to your grandmother. I also know those grandparents must be Italian because you slip into Italian whenever you talk to them.” Clarke’s eyes danced around Lexa’s face, taking in her sharp features. “I know that you’re popular with the women on campus. Well, on any campus you go to. Raven’s told me stories. But here’s the thing... I’m not that girl.”

“What girl?” Lexa questioned.

“I’m not the one who is going to fall for the player. I’m not going to reform you. I’m not going to tell you not to party and enjoy your last year of school. I’m not going to tell you I’m better than every other girl who is throwing herself at you.”

Already shaking her head, Lexa tried to argue, “I don’t want you to be that girl!”

“I think I could really like you. And that scares the crap out of me. But I’m not going to be your parent or whatever.” Clarke insisted, her eyes dropping to the ground. “So as much as I’d like to say yes to dinner, I can’t. Because I don’t think you’re ready for what I’m ready for.”

****

Another week or so went by before Lexa found herself accidentally facing Clarke again.

Unfortunately, She was helping a very inebriated Gaia into her apartment when Clarke came out with her usual pile of books.

Cool blue eyes took in the scene before Clarke scoffed.

“Have a good night, Lexa.”

“Clarke!” Lexa called after her. “Wait!”

****

A week later, Lexa found a drunk Clarke outside her door.

“Can’t find my keys.” Clarke whined.

Lexa laughed and pointed, “they’re in your hand.”

“Oh.” Clarke glanced down and frowned. Then she drew back her hand and chucked her keys into Lexa’s apartment. “Now I really can’t find them.”

Biting back laughter, Lexa stepped off to the side. “Want to come in?”

“Well now that you stole my keys, I don’t have much of a choice.”

After steering Clarke toward the couch, which was also where her keys had ended up, Lexa grabbed a Gatorade from her fridge. She handed it to Clarke and sat on the coffee table in front of her.

“You okay?”

“Had my last midterm. Gotta head home for Thanksgiving tomorrow.”

Lexa tilted her head. “Is that bad?”

“Mom got remarried over the summer,” Clarke hiccupped and took a long drink from the Gatorade. “That’s why I transferred out here. Couldn’t be near her and Kane.”

“I see.” Lexa nodded.

“Why don’t you want to take me on a date anymore?” Clarke asked suddenly.

Lexa straightened at that. She reached for Clarke’s hands, holding them tightly. “I never said that.”

“You brought that girl home.”

“That girl is my cousin. And she’s nineteen.” Lexa explained. She shook her head. “My aunt would have killed Gaia if she’d gone home. Some guy took her to a party and then ditched her. She called me.”

“You weren’t at the party?”

Lexa shook her head again. She scooted a little closer. “Contrary to what you may think, I don’t actually go to parties very often. Soccer and school take up a lot of time. And while I’m not a fancy pre-med double major genius like you, pre-law is no joke.”

“You still want to take me on a date?”

“If I say yes, will you let me take you on a date?”

Clarke nodded. “After break?”

“Can I have your number so I can text you while you’re gone?”

****

By the time Christmas rolled around, Clarke and Lexa were inseparable. They studied together, they cooked for each other, they walked to and from classes together.

The night before Clarke was set to fly home again, Lexa asked her to be her girlfriend. When Clarke accepted enthusiastically, Lexa offered to fly home with her.

Since her grandparents were in Philadelphia, they’d be able to drive up for New Years.

And when they returned to campus?

It was almost like they were living together. They would spend most of their time in Lexa’s apartment, only venturing to Clarke’s when she insisted on doing her laundry and putting all of her clothes back in her closet.

It was something that happened about twice a month.

****

Lexa got her first call up to the national team that spring. Just a few international friendlies, but with the World Cup the following year, it could mean the start of Lexa’s international legacy.

She came away with five goals and two assists in those three games.

Clarke rewarded her with the best sex of her life.

When she got the call up the second time, Lexa was a little more confident and a little less nervous.

She went to workouts and practices, she ran drills, she did everything that was asked of her.

Then, just minutes before she was meant to head out on the field for her fourth cap, an assistant coach pulled her aside and handed her a cell phone.

“Lexa!” Anya’s worried voice boomed in her ear.

“Anya?”

“You need to come home!”

Lexa was shaking her head. “The match is about to start!”

“It’s Clarke, Lexa!”

Without asking a single question, Lexa nodded and responded, “I’ll be there as soon as I can!”

****

As it turned out, that meant she’d be there in four hours. The media director for the team had some connections and managed to get Lexa a seat on the first available flight home. They even offered to send her luggage later.

When Lexa turned her phone on as she sprinted through the airport, she winced at all the missed calls and texts.

Just as she clicked on the icon for he voicemails, Anya’s name and picture lit up her phone.

“Anya!”

“Where are you?”

Lexa glanced around. “Baggage claim. I’m going to see if there’s a cab.”

“Gaia is waiting for you outside door 13.”

Sprinting down to the right door, Lexa spotted her cousin right away.

In no time at all, Lexa found herself at the hospital.

“What happened?” Lexa demanded as soon as she found Raven and Anya.

“She wasn’t answering her phone so I went to check on her. She looked…” Raven shuddered. “It was rough. I got her here and the doctors said something about her appendix and she had surgery –”

Lexa was shaking her head. “Where is she?”

Raven pointed at a room behind Lexa.

Turning on her heel, Lexa hurried into that room.

“Hey!” Clarke said brightly. “Why aren’t you at your game?”

“Really?” Lexa laughed and shook her head. She hurried to the side of Clarke’s bed, leaning down to press their foreheads together. “You had surgery and you think I’d be at a soccer game?”

Clarke shrugged. “It was just my appendix.”

“And if Raven hadn’t found you?”

Silence stretched between them.

“That’s what I thought.” Lexa kissed her gently. “I love you, Clarke Griffin. Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

“I love you.”

Lexa kissed her again. “I’m serious, Clarke. You could have died.”

“If you think I’m dying, can I eat the cupcake Raven got me?” Clarke asked, holding up her red velvet cupcake.

“But you aren’t dying.”

Clarke nodded and smiled up at her. “Let me eat it anyway?”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you've enjoyed!!
> 
> As always, feel free to drop me a line here or on [Tumblr](https://imaginaryhistorianme.tumblr.com/)
> 
> There's a blog for [Clexa Pride Week](https://clexaprideweek.tumblr.com/) too! Come say hi!
> 
> As always, kudos, comments, and questions are encouraged! And encouraging!


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